


So….Dad….

by reddeadmort



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 17:24:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18348266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddeadmort/pseuds/reddeadmort
Summary: You're Hosea's daughter, and are trying to keep your relationship from your dad, but you'll have to tell him eventually.





	So….Dad….

You had known something was wrong when your father had appeared with no warning at the Doctor’s office where you worked. You hadn’t seen him and your mother for a few years, but they sent letters regularly, and always a small package on your birthday. You’d received one such package for your 20th, just a few months prior to your father arriving to give you the bad news. Your mother, Bessie, was dead. Hosea was in a bad way, and you had insisted it on coming with him to look after him. After all, while you had a job, you had no close friends in that town. You’d always struggled there, since your parents had insisted you go live with your cousin at 13; you never really felt like you fit in.

Arriving at the Van der Linde gang camp had been a shock, and the next year or so was a struggle as your father nearly drank himself to death. But everyone was so kind, and helpful; Dutch was always there for you when you needed to cry after spending another evening trying to make sure your father didn’t die in his sleep. 

You and John were very close in age, and he felt like your brother. You had some good laughs, admittedly most at John’s expense. Intellectually, you could run rings around him; but he definitely had skills you didn’t and typically got his own back whenever you attempted to shoot a gun. You were learning, but he had years of experience and loved showing off. After living with the gang for a while, you started to understand why your parents had sent you away; it gave you stability, the chance for an education. But you still wished you’d had more time with your mother.

Arthur was older, wiser, different to John; he’d experienced more pain. You expected him to not really pay much attention to you, but he was more than willing to spend time with you, teaching you the skills you needed to make yourself useful. He especially enjoyed any teaching you anything that helped you in your long-running one-upmanship with John. As soon as you mastered one skill, there he was, ready with his next idea; as time went on, you slowly realised what he was doing. He was desperate to spend time with you, and you were more than happy to oblige. 

It had all come to a head on a hunting trip out on the plains. You’d had a rough day; you had tried to break one of the wild horses you saw, as you really needed one of your own. Arthur had been brilliant, showing you how to slowly move towards the horse, calming it as you did. It had been going so well, right up until you were thrown onto that cactus. 

Luckily, you only caught it with your arm, but it still took Arthur a while to carefully pull the spikes out. It was almost worth it though when he gently rubbed ointment into your sore skin. As you lay on the blanket, head nestled on Arthur’s shoulder, allowing your sore arm to rest, Arthur had kissed you. And you had kissed him back. 

In the months since then, you’d spent as much time as you could together. You’d only told Abigail and Mary-Beth; you needed their help if you were able to keep your relationship from Dutch and Hosea as long as possible. Your dad had been getting more and more protective recently; you suspected he was trying to make up for the failures in that year after your mother died. Ever since that year, Dutch had been like your second parent. He treated you differently from John, always choosing his words more carefully, being slightly kinder; you were sure he’d asked Miss Grimshaw to be easier on you too. 

That morning, you and Arthur had almost been caught. Dawn was barely breaking when Mary-Beth had practically thrown herself into Arthur’s tent. You were still half asleep, blissfully comfortable in Arthur’s arms. Grabbing you roughly by the wrist, she yanked you out of the back of the tent and behind the wagon. Still groggy, wearing only your nightdress, you were about to question her when you heard Bill and Dutch’s voices the other side. 

“Arthur, get up! Micah’s got a tip, and we’ve got a train to catch.” 

You and Mary-Beth had stayed perfectly still, waiting for the voices to fade into the distance. You only relaxed when Arthur’s confused face appeared from the back of the tent. After that, you’d crept back carefully to your and Mary-Beth’s tent; you owed her big, you knew it.

Late that afternoon, as soon as Arthur returned with the others, you went to speak to him in his tent. He was tired, but happy; the job had gone well, with not a single shot fired. You hugged him quickly, then sat on the corner of his bed. Arthur turned his back on you, fists on the table, looking down.

“Arthur…. we have to tell them.” He didn’t need to ask what you were talking about; it was the only thing that had been on his mind all day as well. 

“I know, (Y/N), I know. But I can’t….. I don’t know what to say.” Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Arthur, they are going to find out whether we want them to or not. And it would be much better for both of us if they found out on our terms, not with our legs tangled together.” You were going to tell your dad whether Arthur liked it or not, but you really wanted him by your side when you did. You understood his reluctance; recently, Hosea had been vocalising his displeasure at you being in the gang, rather than leading a ‘proper’ life, more frequently. And Dutch had been so angry when Sean, after a few whiskeys, had pulled you onto his lap and joked about wanting to ‘get to know you better’.

“Dammit, (Y/N), how many times! I know that! It’s just…..I……. they…..” His anger subsided as his voice trailed off. 

“Arthur, sweetheart, it’s okay to be scared. Of their reaction, of the future, of everything.” 

Arthur finally stopped pacing around his tent, though you weren’t sure that it really counted as pacing when he cleared the length of it in 2 or 3 strides.

“Darlin’, you’re right. You’re always right” he said as he leaned against the wagon that supported the tent. Rubbing the back of his neck, he gave you that cute one-sided smile that always made your heart melt. “Best I tell ‘em alone I reckon. That way, if they ain’t happy, it’ll be me that gets the heat.”

“You sure Arthur?” You stood up, glancing around before quickly, delicately, kissing him. 

“Yeh darlin’. I’ve antagonized Hosea and Dutch plenty before, ain’t got me killed yet. It’ll be okay, I promise.” 

Arthur gently kissed you on the forehead before setting off towards Dutch’s tent. You smiled, watching him go, before quickly going to help the others with the chores. Anything to keep your mind busy. 

_———_

_Arthur had a plan. He’d been thinking about it for a while, but it had only been formed in those last few moments in his tent, and he was praying that Hosea and Dutch didn’t mess up the first part by not being able to see the relationship for what it was. But, while he was worried, he knew that he would fight anyone and anything he had to keep you by his side. Taking a deep breath, relieved to see Hosea and Dutch were already alone, he stepped into Dutch’s tent and closed the flap._

_——–_

Arthur had been gone a while, and your feelings about this were mixed. On the one hand, you hadn’t heard any yelling, no shots, and you were pretty sure he hadn’t been chased out of the camp. On the other hand, how long a conversation did this need to be?! You wished you’d gone with him. 

You were alone, hanging the last of the washing on the trees at the edge of camp; everyone seemed to be gathering around the fire, so it looked like it was that time in the evening where you got to relax and unwind. You just hoped that, this evening, maybe you could curl up to Arthur while Javier sang. 

You’d just finished hanging the last of the dresses up when Arthur finally appeared by your side. You turned towards him, a mixture of fear and excitement welling up inside you. Your face fell when you saw his frown.

“(Y/N), I’m so sorry. We’ve got a problem. You need to come talk to ‘em.” You’d never seen him look so serious.

“Arthur, sweetheart…..what happened?” You could feel tears uncharacteristically welling up at the corner of your eyes.

“I’ll explain soon darlin’. But we need to go to them now.” 

You could have sworn the whole camp was staring at you as you and Arthur walked hand in hand to Dutch’s tent. You were sniffing, barely holding it together; but as you approached, you started to feel angry. How dare they object? They had no right to, you were a person with your own opinions.

As the tent flap opened, you stormed in, ready to give your Dad and Dutch your full wrath. You got to the centre of the tent before realising that no-one was in there. The tent was filled with soft music from Dutch’s phonograph, and as you looked you realised that every surface was covered with candles. You turned, ready to ask Arthur what the hell was going on, only to see him on one knee in front of you. 

Arthur reached into his pocket and slowly brought out the ring. He’d been carrying it around for weeks; he’d had one of the Jewellers in Saint-Denis attach a sliver of the meteorite he found onto a delicate platinum band that he’d bought from them. 

He reached out, taking one of your hands in his. Your free hand went to your mouth; of all the scenarios you’d run through your head in the hours you’d been separated, this was not one that had even occurred to you. 

“Darlin’, I’ve been actin’ like a fool. I never should have waited this long to tell the others, and I certainly shouldn’t have waited this long to ask you. Ever since that first kiss, as you lay by my side on the plain, staring up at the stars, I knew I wanted…needed….you by my side forever. You’re my shootin’ star darlin’.”

You could feel the tears rising again as you kept your hand pressed to your mouth, still slightly unable to process what was happening.

“Darlin’, will you be my wife?” 

With that, you burst into tears. You weren’t really sure why; you’d been on such a roller-coaster of emotion in the last few hours, you couldn’t help yourself. 

“Errr….darlin’…. the suspense is killin’ me.”

“YES Arthur, a thousand times yes” you practically yelled as you finally pulled yourself together and launched at him, arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Arthur stood up, gently lifting you in his thick arms, as you kissed hard. Grinning like a man possessed, he gently slipped the ring on your finger and took your hand. 

“Come on then, we best be havin’ some dinner.” He winked as he lifted the tent flap and led you outside. 

You left the tent, staring at the beutiful ring on your finger, then froze as you were met with cheers and whoops. Everyone, including Hosea and Dutch, were gathered around the front of Dutch’s tent, drinks in hand. Arthur moved behind you, wrapping his arms around you and resting them on your stomach. 

“See darlin’, I told you it would be okay” he leaned down and whispered in your ear. 

Your dad and Dutch were the first to come to speak to you. 

“Well I guess you’re definitely not returning to that other life or yours now eh, Y/N?” Dutch chuckled as he patted your arm. 

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere Dutch, but yeh I guess this is a pretty good reason to stay” you laughed, as Arthur gently squeezed you into his chest. 

“My precious daughter, you’ve made an old man very happy” Hosea said as he stepped forward and hugged you and Arthur. “And you, my boy, thank you for asking my permission. It was a nice touch”. 

You half turned, so you could look up at Arthur. “You did what?” 

Arthur quickly broke your gaze, grinning as he looked up and away.

“I warned you Arthur, I warned you!” Dutch laughed. “You know perfectly well she’s her own woman, not Hosea’s to give away!”

You jokingly elbowed Arthur in the ribs, mock scowling at him.

“Dammit, what’ve got myself into” he said, smiling, as he kissed your ear, gently squeezing you tight again.

“Wait, what would you have done if I had said no?” you asked.

“Well, either way I needed a drink, so I guess…. not much different! Would’ve killed the mood a bit though.” You chuckled, and turned to face him. As you did so, a familiar voice rang out across the gathering….

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I do believe we are celebrating! Who wants champagne?!”

“Where in the hell did Trelawny come from?!” Arthur exclaimed, frowning. 

“It’s a party sweetheart, of course he’s going to appear. It’s his version of a summoning!” Laughing, you and Arthur moved to relax and celebrate with the others. This life was unconventional, it was hard, but with family old and new at your side, you had never felt more at home.   


End file.
